Over the Years
by junior-4323
Summary: What makes Will the way he is? Chapters of Will's life that include High School, Georgetown, Pre-Scandal, and the Present. The forming of his relationships with Diane, Alicia, and some OC's from his early years.
1. High School

**A/N: This story contains chapters of Will's life. Every chapter is a certain period in Will's life that has something to do with his personality or a later event in his life. I wanted to think of why Will is the way he is. The story starts with Will as a senior in high school. **

* * *

_September 1989 _

It was the fall of Will's senior year of high school. He made sure that he took difficult courses this semester. College applications were right around the corner and he couldn't think about anything else. His older sister Sara is in her Junior year at Columbia and Will felt the need to get himself into a good school. He remembered when he was a freshman and thought that he could get a scholarship to a great school for baseball. He learned that as well as he played, it did not matter. There would always be someone better than him. A few small D-II schools seemed interested in him, but none of them were impressed enough to offer Will anything. He could still tryout and make it to the majors the hard way.

"Hey Gardner!" Tom yelled from across the parking lot.

Will's friends changed over the years, but he always had a soft spot for his baseball buddies. Tom a senior and a junior named Scott had been inseparable since March which was weird for teenage guys. They took a road trip DC over the summer and Will had fallen in love with the city. One day they checked out the Georgetown campus and their baseball fields. He couldn't think of anywhere else he would rather go to school. Will found out that the team only had three outfielders on their on their '90 team roster which meant they would be looking for about two more when tryouts came around.

"How's it going Tom?" Will asked him once he made his way across the parking lot.

"Great! My dad got me O's tickets for my birthday. I have an extra one if you want to go."

"Really? That's so nice of you. When are they for?"

"A week from tomorrow." Tom said.

_Dammit _Will thought to himself. He knew that he had studying and homework to do on a school night.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked. "Do you have something going on that night?"

"Uhhh...I think so. I'm gonna check on that." Will said. He was too embarrassed to admit he would rather stay home and study then go to a ballgame with his friend.

"I'm gonna invite Scott if you can't go. Just let me know soon."

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Alright." Will said. He nodded at Tom and booked across campus to his first class. A tardy on the first day wouldn't sit well with anyone.

* * *

_March 1990 _

Will raced home. Even though the Baltimore air was in the low 30's he didn't care. The past few days he got a ride from Scott and then he would run home to check the mail. He kept waiting for his letter from Georgetown. He had gotten into UCLA and Purdue, but the only school he cared about was Georgetown. Will turned on to his street and sprinted to the driveway. He slammed open the mailbox once his hand was within reach. Will's hands were numb as he flipped through the envelopes tossing each one to the ground. He was getting frustrated as he got to the last two envelopes without finding what he was looking for. He threw an insurance letter like a frisbee into the bushes. Will looked down at the last envelope. It was the one he wanted.

"Yes!" Will gasped as he read the front.

His freezing cold hands fumbled to get it open. Will ripped the letter out of the envelope. His eyes skimmed the letter. He got in! Will Gardner was going to Georgetown in the fall.

"Woo Hoo!" He yelled into the sky.

Will jumped up on to his car on the driveway and threw his hands up as if he was king of the world. A couple of neighbors came out of their house to see what all the noise was. He just gave them a sheepish grin and told them about the good news.

* * *

Will grabbed his jacket from the back of his car and adjusted his baseball cap for practice. It was their first week. It was his last season. As he lugged his bag over his shoulder all he couldn't wipe his stupid trademark grin off of his face. Will laid it down in the dugout and grabbed his glove to warm up his arm. Will did some stretches before grabbing a ball from the bucket.

"Hey Tom, Wanna throw?" He asked.

"I'm throwing with Scott." He said cooly.

Ever since the first day of school they couldn't even manage a cordial conversation. Will couldn't make up his mind on whether he wanted to go to the game or not. His indecisiveness led to not telling Tom until the day before the game that he was unavailable. By then Scott had made plans and Tom was stuck with his annoying little sister instead of a friend. Both Tom and Scott were pissed. Will tried to make amends by inviting them both to another game that he would pay for. Scott took the opportunity and forgave Will, but Tom just ignored him. Will thought they would be buddies again once baseball season started, but so far it looked like it would be a lot harder than the time of the year.

"Wanna throw?" Will asked some sophomore who's name he did know.

"Sure." The guy said. He seemed surprised to be asked to throw with one of the star senior players on varsity.

His name was Matt. Will and him became friends realizing they had much in common with the exception of their age. He was a great pitcher. Will himself had trouble making contact with Matt's fastball. Scott stopped driving Will and they stopped hanging out as much as they had before.

* * *

_June 1990 _

Will was graduating. High school would be officially history. Their team had one the league championship and had made it all the way to state semi-finals. The Georgetown baseball coach had asked him to tryout for the team in the spring. He was supposed to be happy, but yet he wasn't. His girlfriend broke up with him just a week before. Tom only talked to him when they needed to communicate in games and Scott barely talked to Will off the field. Sure Will hung out with a big popular crowd, but he did not have any close friends other than Matt who was a sophomore. He was not even sure if Matt liked him anymore because he hated being seen out in public or talking in the halls with him. It was like Will's friends were a hundred dollar bills, instead of one Benjamin. Together they looked like a lot, but they weren't meaningful at all. He did not have one single friend in his life that meant more to him than anyone else. He was excited for college. He could move on, make new friends, and become a pro-athlete.

"William Paul Gardner!" Will was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his name.

He walked short hurried steps to the center of the stage to grab his diploma and shake hands with the principal. Will flashed a smile to the crowd in case his dad was taking pictures. He walked off the stage and stood with his class through all the other ceremonial activities they had to do. Once they were allowed to leave he rushed through the crowd of families to find his own.

"WILL!" Aubrey shouted from behind him.

Will ran over and picked up his younger sister. He put her down on her feet and shook his father's hand.

"I'm proud of you Will." He said with a beaming smile.

"Oh Will, you'll make such a great Oriole!" Sara exclaimed.

"Will, I don't want you to get carried away with this dream of yours. If you don't make the team or don't play great you should consider something more steady with a good income."

"Christopher, he's still a teenager. Don't put this on him." Will's mom said.

"Sorry! I just want him to be realistic and not chase some dumb childhood dream." His father retorted.

Will rolled his eyes and ran to his car. He couldn't stand his father sometimes. Will locked himself in his car and rested his head on the top of his steering wheel. He didn't think. All he wanted was to forget everything that was expected of him. After what felt like hours, he heard a knock on his hood. Will looked up and saw Sara staring at him through the window. He opened the door.

"Will, we've been looking for you for half an hour!"

"I'm sorry. It's just that dad wants me to become what he's not."

"He was a dreamer too. He imagined that he could become a billionaire and have a ton of power when he was younger. Instead he's a partner at a law firm. He barely made it and he's skipped around town a lot. Dad disappointed himself. He wants you to be satisfied with your life, not one where you wish that you could go back in time and change it." Sara told him.

"But that's not what being young is about. We're allowed to be naïve and optimistic. Not concerned about responsibility and our future."

"Okay Will, I know you'll have fun in college and all, but just promise me that you find someone or something that will make you happy."

Will smiled. He loved how much his sisters cared. Even if they couldn't protect him physically, that was his job. They always made sure he was emotionally strong even if most of the time he was afraid to admit that he was weak.

"Deal." He told Sara before getting out of his car and rejoining the rest of his family.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Reviews are more than welcome.**


	2. Undergrad

**A/N: This is chapter two. It mainly focuses on the end of Will's Junior year at Georgetown. Sorry if you are unfamiliar with baseball, the important patents are after it. **

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_May 1993_

Will was having the time of his life. He was a star student athlete at the college of his dreams. Junior year was coming to an end. Will had no time to go out drinking or to a party, but he did not care. It annoyed the hell out of him his freshman year that he had to spend ten hours of the week training and practicing and the rest of his time studying for finals. Will never got more than three hours of sleep a night. His teammates thought of it as a chore. They would practice and study so hard with the hopes of it one day paying off by being drafted. For some reason Will enjoyed it. He lived and breathed baseball. Anytime he could spend focused on that he was happy. Georgetown was great for him too. He loved the classes that he took and the people that he met.

"Will." He heard from behind him.

"Hi Charlotte!" Will said with a beaming smile.

Charlotte was Will's first real girlfriend at Georgetown. The rest had not lasted longer than a month. The two of them hooked up during the fall at a back to school party at a mutual friends dorm. She was sweet and Will had fun getting to know her.

"I'm excited to go to your game tonight. I heard there would be some scouts there."

"You're going? I'd be fine if you wanted to stay home and study."

"I need a break from staring at textbooks all night long. Don't we all?"

"Yeah...we do." Will said as he walked over to give her a kiss.

* * *

Will had butterflies in his stomach. There were scouts from five different clubs out there in the stands. He took a deep breath before grabbing his glove and his bats. Will rested his bats over his shoulder as he jogged up the steps from the locker room into the dugout.

"Gardner! You're starting in right and batting sixth!" Coach Harrison yelled from the opposite end of the dugout.

Will smiled to himself. He had started a fair amount of games this year, but it felt good to be trusted in putting on a show for the big league scouts. He jogged out to right field to warm up. Will did some sprints and then had one of the trainers stretch him out. Their senior shortstop asked Will to throw with him. They loosened up their arms, drifting farther and farther apart to get some nice long throws in. There was only ten minutes left until the start of the game. All of the position players trotted in for the National Anthem. Will focused. He thought about what he was going to do and how he was going to hit. He was going to be a star. If there was one night he needed to shine, it was tonight. The guys huddled on the steps of the dugout before running out to take the field.

"1...2...3...HOYAS!" They yelled at the top of their lungs.

The warm up music boomed in the background as Will sprinted out to right field.

* * *

It was the bottom of the fifth inning. The number three batter, Jake Romero was up. The score was 2-0 for the visitors. It was time for Georgetown to get some runs on the board. Jake Romero swung at the first pitch. He hit the ball on the ground just out of reach of the third baseman's glove. The clean-up hitter Roy David took his time as he walked up to the batters box. Two balls, two strikes and he slapped a change-up to the shortstop. Jake was running on the pitch leaving no time for a double play as short could only go to first with the ball. Runner on second, one out. Will grabbed his bat as he walked out on to the on-deck circle. Their fifth place hitter hit a first pitch fastball into the left-center hole. The center fielder got to the ball in time to cut the ball off and leave him to a single. Although, it was deep enough for Jake to score from second. Will gave Jake a high-five after his teammate stepped on home plate. 2-1 visitors. Will stepped into the batters box. The tying run waiting on second for him. Will focused. He cleared his head and trusted his mechanics. The windup. He was about to swing as he saw the ball curving in side.

"Ball." The umpire huffed behind him.

Will stayed focused. He looked for his pitch. He saw it. A fastball on the inside half of the plate. He took a swing and hammered the ball into the left-center gap. Will raced to first. As he turned the bag he saw the left fielder coming in to cut the ball off. Will sprinted around first. He was going to stretch his hit into a double, no one can stop him. He was about fifteen feet away from the bag when he saw a perfect strike soaring to the second baseman's glove. Will slid, but he slid to late.

* * *

He could hear fans cheering, but he couldn't move. Will felt a sharp pain shooting up his left leg. He turned his head to the dugout. Coach Hamilton and the trainer that had stretched him out before the game were sprinting to his side. _No! _Will thought. He could not be injured. Not at the height of his junior season.

"Arghhh!" Will groaned as his senses started to clear and the pain in his leg grew sharper.

"Will, I need you to stay still." The trainer told him.

Will nodded with and aggravated look in his eyes. He saw the trainer feel his ankle. He was shaking his head.

"What's wrong?" Will and his coach said almost simultaneously.

"It feels tender. We need to get you x-rayed."

Will could feel tears welling up in his eyes. It would be embarrassing if he just started crying in front of his coach, trainer, the umpires, and a bunch of strangers wearing the opposing. He stopped himself from crying and just stared blankly at his leg. Eventually they picked him up from the ground and he hobbled off the field with the crowd clapping behind him.

* * *

_May 1994 _

Will's senior year at Georgetown had been a drag. He took some great courses and went to some fun parties, yet he wasn't the same. He had to wear a cast all summer and then get treated for physical therapy for months into the first semester. He hadn't stepped on to the baseball field since. He wanted to though,. Will kept dreaming of the day he could go back and play, but he gave up his dreaming once reality came and the baseball diamond was 100% out of his reach. He decided to go to law school. His dad encouraged him to take a course about law enforcement. When he excelled in the class his dad told him to take the LSAT and just see how he did. Will got a 172. It excited him. He applied to Georgetown Law School and was accepted. Will laughed. He was going to be a lawyer. His father's dream. It was Will's decision, though. He was excited to come back in the fall and have four more years to stay in DC. Will looked in the mirror and adjusted his gown. He was determined to be happy and it just may work out even if it was not close to what he had imagined. But even with the exciting life ahead of him, Will felt empty. He was in love with baseball. It was all he had and has never been in love with anyone or anything that was not baseball.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I would love to hear your opinion! Next Chapter: Georgetown Law School and Alicia! The story will pick up in the fall of '94 (beginning of law school). I might stretch it into two chapters. You can leave me a review and tell me if you feel strongly one way or another. Thanks for reading! :-)**


	3. Orientation

**A/N: Thanks to all of those who have reviewed!**

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_September 1994_

Will bought his own apartment. It was two blocks south of the law school campus. It was an easy walk to the orientation pool party. Beers were going around and Will was having a great time. At some point a kid whose name he did not know asked him, no dared him to jump into the pool in front of a group of pretty girls. Will obliged and stripped his t-shirt off and ran into the pool yelling "Cannonball!".

There was a big slash. Will came up for air and looked back at the group of girls. They were giggling and invited him over to talk. When Will hopped out of the pool he saw a brunette in a summer dress. When he met her gaze she blushed and stared down to the ground. Will stared at her for a long moment.

"Hey handsome, what are you waiting for?" A blonde girl aid seductively.

"Uhhh...I'll come back later. I want to talk to a friend before they leave."

"Okay, tell us your name before you leave." A girl with dark black hair told him.

"Will." He said with a forced smile.

He left before they could demand anything else of him and found the other girl who stood alone by the bar. It looked like she was making conversation with the bartender, but she didn't have a friend or a guy with her. She was surprised when she saw Will making his way over to her.

"Hey, I saw you from over by the pool. Can I buy you a drink?"

"Why?" She asked.

"Cause I think you're pretty and I want to get to know you."

"Is that how you always pick girls up?" She asked him playfully.

"You wanted an answer and I told you the truth."

Shel laughed. It was one of the sweetest noises he had ever heard. Will smiled at her. He had never felt anything by making a girl laugh like that before.

"What's your name?" The girl asked him.

"I'm Will...Gardner." He said, stumbling a bit over his words. He had never been this nervous in front of a girl before. "What's yours?"

"Alicia Canavaugh."

"That's a good name. I could see it right now. Canavaugh and Associates."

Alicia laughed again and it just made Will smile.

"So Will, why did you decide to go to law school."

"I took a class in my senior year here. It was one of the most interesting courses I had ever taken. My dad is a lawyer. I met some of his friends who work here in DC. There's nothing else like it. Also I get to stay here. I absolutely love DC." Will knew there was more to share. He could have been a pro ballplayer, but he didn't want the girl to feel sorry for him. I'm sorry were the only two words anybody told him since he had broken his ankle.

"What brings you here?"

"I'm from Chicago. My undergrad was Northwestern and after four years of being a legal adult I learned how much I needed to get away from my mother."

"Are you alright? What happened with her?" Will asked in concern.

"Not what your thinking. I meant that she hurts me and my brother emotionally. She is so self-absorbed and has never had a steady romantic relationship. Because of her I never get to see my dad either. But Will really it's just a small thing. I've always been interested in the law. I did an internship last year at the Cook County State's Attorney office."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to go here. And I'm a huge Cubs fan." Will replied with a smile.

"Cubs?"

"The Chicago baseball team. Their my favorite team in the National League."

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Alicia said in confusion.

Will laughed. More at himself than at her. He cannot count on one hand how many times his inner baseball nerd got in the way of one of his relationships.

"I signed up for an intramural league in the city. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about baseball."

"Okay Will. That sounds like fun. I'll go if you help me study for criminal procedure. I saw you in class the other day and I need a study partner."

"Study partner." Will said sarcastically and raised his eyebrows at Alicia. She gave him the death stare. "Yeah, sure I'm on board for that."

"In the library tomorrow at six in the afternoon." She told him almost sternly.

"I'll be there. Do you want me to walk you home, this party is getting kind of boring."

"I would love that, but I don't think that you want to walk me home shirtless and in soaking board shorts."

Will felt his cheeks flushing bright red with embarrassment. He laughed at the situation. He had stood in front of this lovely girl for at least twenty minutes and he had forgotten that he was bare-chested.

"I have a sweatshirt and a towel over by the pool deck. Give me a second to get them and then we can leave."

"Sure thing. I'll meet you in the front." She told him.

Will nodded and went to get his stuff. He was approaching the spot where he had left it when he saw them. The group of girls he told he would check back in on later were right in front of his destination. Will knew he couldn't sneak past them so he decided to smooth talk his way out of the situation.

"Hey Will. We've been waiting here awhile for you." said one of the girls.

"Sorry 'bout that. I've got a friend to take home so I can't stay with you all. It was nice meeting all of you though, maybe we can hang out sometime?"

"Oh Will! You're not getting away that easy."

Will laughed. He slid past them to put on his grey t-shirt and navy Georgetown sweatshirt. He grabbed a towel and dried his hair while blocking out the girls' comments. He tried to nudge his way past them, but they blocked his way.

"Where do you think you're going?"

By then Will was just annoyed.

"Hey, I'm going now, whether you guys like it or not!"

A blonde girl who was standing next to him and clearly had one too many drinks kissed him. Immediately he resisted, but everyone at the party stopped and stared at them. Within in a few seconds Will pulled away and stared at her like she was crazy. Apparently she had a boyfriend. They were a well-known couple, but luckily her boyfriend was not at the party. Will thanked his lucky stars that Alicia had gone out front. All of her friends stared at him blankly and were motionless. Will was able to make his way past the girls this time only with the party crowd frowning at him.

* * *

"Are you okay? It looks like you saw a ghost." Alicia said as Will met up with her in the front.

"I'm fine, just a crazy group of drunk party girls."

"What happened?" Alicia said, eyebrows raised. She knew something else must have happened to throw Will off his game.

Usually Will would make up a lie or play down the situation when concerning a girl, but he felt the need to be honest.

"One of the girls who was really drunk kissed me. I pulled away immediately, but everyone saw it." He expected her to be horrified, but Alicia just burst out into a fit of laughter.

Will smiled as she tried to keep herself under control.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Someone told me she has a boyfriend to. I'm so screwed."

"Will, half the people there were drunk. No one will remember."

He smiled at her vote of confidence even if it was laced with teasing.

"So Alicia, where are we going?"

Alicia led him to her apartment building.

"Here it is!" Alicia said as they approached the front door.

"This! My place is just around the corner!" Will was ecstatic.

They had a wonderful chat as they walked to her place. Even if some of the walk was just in silence they both enjoyed each others company in the warm DC night's air.

"Well, I guess I'll see you soon." Alicia said walking up the steps.

"You will." He replied.

Will watched Alicia grab her key out of her purse and unlock the door. She went inside. As Alicia closed the door and smiled at Will through the glass. She waved goodbye and he did the same. Will waited until she disappeared up the stairs of her walk up, before turning and heading back to his place. Will had a huge grin on his face. He had a feeling. Will did not know what it was other than he had not felt it with anyone or anything since he was a healthy star ballplayer. It all came back to him that one night at orientation.

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**A/N: So planning to write the next chapter as a bunch of major events that happened when they were in law school. After that the time will start to move faster. Thank you for reading, reviews are welcome!**


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